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HARRISBURG - A bill to freeze school property taxes for senior citizens waits for action in the Senate as the debate over education funding moves in that chamber's direction.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, Chester, introduced the bill in the spring to freeze property tax for seniors 65 and older who have qualified for a homestead exemption at their current residence for no fewer than three years. The freeze would be based on 2013 property tax rates and seniors would have to apply for it.

Bills to freeze school property taxes have been introduced periodically over the years as more complicated proposals to reduce school districts' reliance on property taxes ran into problems.

Mr. Pileggi's bill provides that school districts would be reimbursed for revenue lost because of the freeze from the state Property Tax Relief Fund. But he doesn't propose a new revenue source or offer estimates on how much revenue would be needed.

Mr. Pileggi has suggested legalizing keno games could be one revenue possibility.

"The bill does not make any assumptions about funding sources - keno is a possibility, as are many other things," said Pileggi spokesman Erik Arneson. "I wouldn't say that any particular option is a 'leading' candidate."

Gov. Tom Corbett proposed legalizing keno games earlier this year as a way to generate more revenue for a Pennsylvania Lottery run under private management.

But Mr. Arneson said the senator hasn't had any major discussions with the Corbett administration about how to fund a property freeze for seniors.

Mr. Pileggi's bill stipulates that a senior getting a property tax freeze wouldn't be eligible for the Lottery-run Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program for seniors.

The property tax issue has re-emerged this fall in Harrisburg with House approval of a bill to give school districts the choice of shifting partially or completely away from property taxes to a mix of an additional earned income tax and a tax on business gross receipts.

Another bill gaining attention would replace school property tax revenue with revenue collected from expanded state income and sales taxes.

Lawmakers said they are responding to constituent pressure about seniors losing mortgage-paid homes because of rising property taxes.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

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